Dreams
by Noriko Nanahara
Summary: What do you do after you achieve all of your dreams at the age of eleven? Red loses all sense of purpose after capturing Mew, and tries to give himself a new goal in life. One-shot, Red-centric. My headcanon as to why Red went to Mount. Silver.


**_Author's Note: _****Hello! It's been a while since I published anything, and it's my first fanfic in the Pokemon fandom. I was always intrigued by what happened to Red between Red/Blue/Yellow and Gold/Silver/Crystal, so I decided to write about what I personally think could've happened. Reviews are highly appreciated!**

_1. Euphoria_

Despite the quiet, abandoned area he was currently in, the sound of Red's heart pounding was enough to make it feel like his current scenario was deafening, as well as tense. The last time he had felt like this had been... Well, not so long ago, actually, where he had caught the second last Pokemon to be registered in the Pokedex.

This was the last one.

He still couldn't believe his luck, having come across Mew. Ever since being crowned Champion of the Pokemon League, Red hasn't exactly been holding his position of waiting with the rest of the Elite Four all day for the best challengers. Instead, as soon as he beat Green, he decided the best course of action was to finally complete the Pokedex. Mewtwo had been easy to find, having seemingly taken up a permanent residence in Cerulean Cave. Mew was noted for having never been seen in any particular place, a rumoured mirage to many, but being the stubborn eleven-year-old he was, Red was determined to find that one last Pokemon.

The location had completely caught him off guard. Out of all the places, the back of an old, rusty looking truck had been the last place on his mind. Nevertheless, as soon as he saw the small, hovering Pokemon in front of him, Red immediately released Wigglytuff from her Pokeball. He had been carrying around a specific team to make capturing Mew easier, and having Wigglytuff sing it to sleep almost felt like a necessity.

So, after many broken Pokeballs, despite being asleep, Red watched as the last ball he had thrown fell onto the ground with a clatter, holding the legendary inside. It wobbled for no more than a few moments, but the crippling fear still remained. It was just _one _more he needed, and his largest goal would be fulfilled. _Come on, please just stay inside, please stay inside!, _he thought, unable to look away from the ball.

After a moment of stillness, there was the sound of a click from the center of the Pokeball.

Blinking rapidly, Red was unable to move at first. Then, he picked it up with trembling hands, clutching it until the tips of his fingers felt numb. He wanted to press the white button in the centre, just to confirm that Mew was in there, but he felt a nagging fear that if he opened the Pokeball now, Mew would fly off immediately.

Wigglytuff shuffled a few steps forward, checking to make sure her trainer hadn't been paralyzed to the spot. After letting out a small cry, she brought Red back to his senses. He looked over at the cute pink creature, and then back to the Pokeball. Finally, a huge smile broke out across his face.

_"I finally did it! I caught every single Pokemon!", _he cried out as loudly as he could, although there was no one around to hear, with the exception of Wigglytuff, who nearly fell back out of surprise. Noticing his Pokemon's surprised reaction, he returned her to her Pokeball too. Red then proceeded to put the two Pokeballs in the remaining empty slips in his belt.

Even though it had been almost five full minutes since capturing the legendary, Red's heart was still beating rapidly. His head felt as if it were reeling, mainly out of shock from capturing all one hundred and fifty one, legendaries included. He had already gave himself a spectacular status by becoming one of the youngest champions in history, but this would exceed everyone's expectations.

Except one person's, of course, as it was his exact intention to have either Red or Green complete that exact goal.

With this in mind, he realized that it would be best to go back to Pallet Town and report his final capture to the man who sent him out on the journey. His hand rested briefly on top of the Pokeball containing Charizard, but then reconsidered.

It was a long journey home, but it was a beautiful evening. Red decided a quiet walk home would be the ideal thing to do.

_2. Pride_

It had only been about fifteen minutes since Red arrived back at Oak's laboratory, but he was already feeling a slight sense of anxiousness. The professor was analyzing the Pokedex at a quick pace to check for certain that Red had indeed filled out every single page.

Oak had barely spared a glance at the first seventy entries or so, already having read these during his last evaluation of Green's. Red could see where he reached the legendaries' entries. He grinned as he stared down at his lap, feeling a sense of haughtiness overcome him. He didn't feel any need to be humble, considering his victories at such a young age.

"Perfect! Absolutely perfect! I always knew I was making a right choice in giving you and Green this task. Admittedly, there was a risk in trying to get you two to find the legendary Pokemon, but to capture all one hundred and fifty-one is astonishing", Oak praised Red, patting his shoulder gently.

"Told you you could count on me! This is all I've ever wanted to do!", Red replied, still full of enthusiasm.

With that, the aging professor handed him back the Pokedex. Red ran his hand over the plastic device, feeling the scratches and dents obtained from months of exploring to complete the goal in question. As if it were brand new, he placed it carefully in the front pouch of his backpack. He then looked up at Professor Oak expectantly for whatever else he had to say.

"So, what are you going to do now?", he questioned indifferently, turning back towards his desk to write up on the completion of the Pokedex.

It was a simple question, but it caused the grin on Red's face to waver. It felt like his mind, which was a constant running stream of thoughts since Mew's capture, came to a sudden halt. A part of him had expected Oak to provide him with his next task, but realized that at that very moment that completing the Pokedex was the only thing the old professor had wanted him to do.

That was the first time since he was crowned champion that he felt adrift. Red definitely experienced emotions of distress before this, especially during his encounter with Mewtwo, but that was accompanied by a sense of exhilaration, but now... It properly occurred to him; _he had completed his one goal in life. _He had discovered and captured every type of Pokemon known, which was exactly what he wanted. Becoming champion felt like a perk, and he didn't realize the privilege of knowing his goal in life so early until now. It didn't feel like a privilege; he had achieved all he wanted to achieve before he entered his teenage years. _What _am I _going to do now?_

"Red?"

The professor's voice brought Red back to his senses. He blinked a few times and looked up. Even though he was still smiling, there was a hint of concern in the professor's eyes, causing the young boy to worry that he let his emotions show too easily.

"Don't you think you should go back to the Pokemon League? I believe you have an important position to maintain", Professor Oak urged him.

Despite being Champion, Red had yet to fulfill any of his duties as one. It wasn't particularly looked down upon for Champions to abandon their post briefly to explore the outside world, considering it's incredibly rare that a trainer would make it as far as the Elite Four. In certain cases where someone would conquer half of the said group, the Champion would be called back immediately, ready to battle the talented trainer. So, as long as Red obliged to that, he was given freedom to explore Kanto and complete his goal for as long as it took.

Nodding slowly, Red realized Oak was right. Although it hadn't been his goal, becoming champion was still a major accomplishment, and he _did _have a role to fulfill. Besides, that could end up being the one thing he wanted to do next.

He thanked the professor for his time, and left the laboratory. He proceeded north, feeling a sense of relief wash over him, now that he had an idea of where to go next.

Much to his confusion, that feeling of disorientation remained.

_3. Apathy_

Being welcomed back to the Pokemon League had been touching. Hearing his own shoes tap against the pristine tiles of each room of the Elite Four had brought back feelings of ecstasy to Red. Despite the fact that each member had welcomed him back as Champion, he still half-expected to see his long-time rival waiting in the final room.

When he arrived there, it was empty. There were a few decorations around the room, after Lance had suggested making the room more spectacular, given that this was the room of the strongest trainer in all of Kanto. Even though it was nowhere near as spectacular as the rooms of previous Champions, Lance had decided it would be fine.

His footsteps echoed louder, now that he was the only one left in the room. Only for the second time, he stepped onto the platform, facing the sealed door. Red couldn't help but wonder what it felt like for the rest of the Elite Four, to do nothing but wait in a room on their own for a challenger. Although it was pleasant not to be bombarded by trainer after trainer, having that experience many times on his own journey, it brought on a heavy sense of isolation.

As per usual, Red tried to look on the brighter side. The Elite Four no longer saw him as another competitor, but a respectable co-worker, if not someone to look up to in terms of skill. It almost made him laugh, considering they were all much older and much more experienced.

However, this concept of looking on the bright side was quickly beginning to wane. They often had to stay in their own rooms, waiting upon challengers to come. Apparently, a few talented trainers arrived at the Indigo League every week, but rarely ever got to Red. Conquering all eight Kanto gyms tended to make challengers overly arrogant, bringing a quick downfall.

As always, there were challengers who were capable of beating the Elite Four. It was a rare occurrence, as Red soon discovered, but it did happen. The first time he heard Lance announce to a challenger that all they had left to do was to challenge the Champion, it sent his heart racing again. That feeling of excitement and anticipation was one that he welcomed back warmly.

The challenger was a confident-looking young girl, but the exhaustion in her eyes from her previous battles wasn't unnoticeable. She seemed to freeze up, almost causing Red to smirk. He remembered that feeling of pure fear when he met his old rival in that room, that all of his efforts were now riding on this last battle. He figured that the girl wouldn't take victory or loss as personally as Red did, considering she was practically a stranger, but it was a daunting experience nonetheless.

Having a large amount of free time had allowed Red to perfect his "Champion's Speech", as they called it. He was never talented at reciting off learned speeches, and this was no exception, with stammering and hesitation added in. Seeing this display of, well, _normality _seemed to ease the girl's nerves a little. Awkward speech out of the way, they both sent out their starting Pokemon.

The battle had lasted for all of about fifteen minutes, and Red still had three Pokemon remaining by the time his Venusaur knocked out her Poliwrath. She clearly looked crushed, but seemed to enjoy the battle regardless. She vowed to the Champion that she would return someday, and steal his place. Telling her he couldn't wait, Red watched as she left the room, and was escorted back to the front of the League Headquarters.

Red's first battle as champion had been exhilarating, and temporarily soothed his fears of having nowhere to go in life after capturing every Pokemon. Unfortunately, the exhilaration seemed to decrease from that battle onwards. Eventually, he began to lose the concept of how frequently people came to challenge him.

They were all the same. The same confident young trainer, just with different Pokemon on hand. It was just the same process over and over and over and over. Battles used to excite Red to no end, but after becoming Champion, they became less and less interesting. _No one's able to beat me, it's a fact, so _why do they keep on coming to see me?

With these thought processes constantly running through his head, Red was almost unable to hide the irritation on his face when he was greeted with another young trainer. They always spouted nonsense about how Red had finally met his match. At this point, the young Champion had given up on his speech, realizing that all these challengers wanted was a battle to prove they were the strongest.

This continuous, excruciatingly apathetic process continued for months before he was finally confronted by Lance. It had been a slow week (although Red hadn't noticed at all, as far as he was aware, it had only been recently that he was last challenged), and the Elite Four were stepping outside of their rooms more often. Red had been sitting in a plush, velvet chair, absentmindedly petting Pikachu, when he was approached by Lance. He felt a firm hand placed on his shoulder, causing him to flinch. When he looked up, he couldn't avoid Lance's fixed gaze.

"Red, the others and I were going to take a break and go to Viridian for lunch. Do you want to come along?", he offered, his tone soft in contrast to his expression. Red looked up at the older man, wanting to politely decline, but couldn't find the words. Everything that entered his mind sounded too rude, and before he could think of something to say, Lance was speaking again.

"Don't worry about it. If you ask me, Agatha wasn't up for it either, anyway! Do you mind if I talk to you regardless?", Lance asked. Not wasting time to try and find words, the young boy simply nodded.

The pair remained silent for several minutes. The only sounds were the ticks of the clock which hung above their heads. If they listened close enough, they would be able to hear Lorelei and Bruno bickering in a nearby area. Lance snorted when he heard them, while Red remained silent. Noticing this, the man decided to get right down to it.

"You should know that everyone here is concerned about you", he began, immediately catching Red's attention. He raised his head, raising an eyebrow in question. With his attention caught, Lance chose to continue.

"Can you blame us? No matter how impressive your achievements may be, you have to remember you're still a _child. _No child your age should have that expression on their face constantly. You always seem so _bored, _and at your age, you should be living your life to the fullest", he said slowly, emphasizing certain words to get through to the young boy. Still no verbal response. It was clear though, judging by Red's expression, that his words were causing the boy to think.

"I'm going to ask you something, and I want you to answer me honestly. Is this type of lifestyle really what you want? I promise I won't be upset by your answer", Lance reassured him, looking at the boy questioningly.

The words Lance had just spoken to Red reverberated in his head. Although the title of Champion was an honor like no other, he couldn't convince himself in the slightest that he was happy with this lifestyle. Waiting day after day for a challenger, only to beat them with hardly any effort, what type of way was that to live? Red hardly spoke to anyone, and rarely left the Plateau anymore. There was no denying it; months of fulfilling his role as Champion hadn't helped him figure out his new goal, it had made him a new type of person, the type he didn't want to be.

It had been several minutes once again. Lance was beginning to regret asking Red that particular question, as the boy was now showing more movement than he had in months. He was gripping at his jeans tightly, chewing his lip, and a clear expression of distress was evident on his face. Lance had no way of guessing what was going on in Red's mind, but he began to worry that all the negatives of being here were beginning to hit Red only now.

Then, the young Champion raised his head, and surprising Lance more than anything, he smiled. Red loosened his grip on his jeans, and opened his mouth to speak. He decided he didn't care how the words came out; there was only one thing he wanted to say to Lance.

"I resign. I'm sorry."

_4. Isolation/Despair_

After Lance had praised him for his decision, he walked Red through on the process of giving up the status of Champion. He had taken care of all the formalities so far, but the only task left to do was to offer his position to the previous reigning Champion. That alone had made Red feel a sense of dread. He hadn't spoken to Green since their final battle, and that confrontation hadn't exactly been a pleasant one. There were high doubts that Green would be elated to see his former best friend once more.

Red knew that if he didn't get this task out of the way, he'd have to carry on being Champion until one of those faceless trainers finally beat him. So, he gathered his courage to return to his hometown, and visit Green one more time. He wished he could feel a sense of happiness and homeliness upon returning to Pallet Town, but at that time, he was far too nervous about this confrontation. Regardless of how apathetic he generally felt, there would always be those unshakable emotions when it came to Green.

Arriving outside the door of his next door neighbour, he clenched both his fists, one of which he kept by his side, and the other he used to knock lightly at the door. Loud footsteps were audible from the inside of the house, which eventually became closer to the door. The knob rattled, and then the door opened, revealing Green on the other side, displaying his signature arrogant expression. His cocky grin was immediately wiped off his face once he saw who his guest was. Instead, Green proceeded to look at him as if he were something disgusting he had found on the bottom of his shoe.

"I can't wait to see what great reason the _Almighty Champion_ has for being at my _humble_ home", he said sarcastically, folding his arms over his chest. Red remained silent for a few seconds, trying to figure out how to respond to such a typical greeting from the boy.

"What? You want to come in?", Green asked, his expression changing from disgusted to confused. When he received no response, he gave an irritated sigh and stepped aside. "Make it quick."

Red stepped into the small house, standing by the door. Green closed the door behind them, still eying his rival with confusion. Briefly giving up, he strode over to the table, watching the other boy from a distance instead.

"Aren't you gonna say anything? Or did you just come over to admire the place? It's hardly changed since you've last been here", he snapped, growing more irritable. Wincing slightly at Green's growing impatience, Red knew he had to speak soon before his bad mood could grow worse.

"I...", he started quietly, and raised his voice ever so slightly. "I don't want to be the Champion anymore. You can take my place again."

He waited for Green's response, which was always quick and snappy. However, this time, an uncomfortable silence hung in the air between them. Red brought his hat down, nearly covering his eyes, so he wouldn't have to make eye contact with Green. He already knew this would get ugly quickly, at this rate. Moments passed, and still no response. Red slightly raised the brim of his hat to observe what was going on with his rival. It was then that the silence was finally broken.

"You're kidding, right?", Green said quietly. He was now looking at Red, his face unreadable for a change.

"No."

It was then that Green strode over towards Red, his expression quickly changing from blank to furious in a matter of seconds. The black-haired boy moved backwards instinctively. The older boy still managed to only leave a few inches between them.

"_What the hell is that supposed to mean? _You're giving up your title already?! I knew you would! It's typical of you! I just didn't expect it to be this quick", he snarled. Hearing Green already react in such a negative manner brought Red to break his silence more easily, feeling an immediate need to defend himself.

"I spent months there. I don't want to spend my life waiting for people weaker than me to challenge me", he attempted to explain, knowing it was already mediocre reasoning.

"_There's _a shock. You'll never be happy, will you?! You've caught every Pokemon in existence, became Champion, and you're practically known as a legend in Kanto now, but none of that's enough!"

"Stop. I only came to offer you your position back-"

"Oh, that'll be a great reputation for me, won't it? Professor Oak's grandson, a huge disappointment, becomes Champion again all because the better one got bored and gave up! What makes you think I want that?", Green demanded to know. They both remained silent for a minute, and Red could see the other boy was becoming quickly impatient with the lack of immediate response.

"I thought becoming Champion was your dream. I took it away, I'm offering it back now", he said quietly, already wincing at the thought of the next barrage of ranting.

Instead, he was greeted more silence. He opened his eyes, looking at his former best friend. He still looked furious, but it was also accompanied by empathy. Red felt slightly confused, wondering what his last statement could have possibly made Green think.

"That's not it. Everyone expected me to achieve huge things in life, because I'm, well, y'know, _his _grandson. And I did get it, but you ruined it all", Green's voice was beginning to waver, as if he were about to laugh or cry, "Everyone thinks I'm a failure. I hold the record for the shortest time being Champion, you know that? And you? You're just some loser who had no idea what to do, so you chased after my dream too. And now you're bored with that. There's no pleasing you, Red, you know? But you're so _lost _and you still get everything and... and... God, _I hate you! _I would've been the greatest ever if it wasn't for you!"

Green stepped backwards, appalled at himself for blurting out so much to the boy he was trying to intimidate. At the same time, it felt like a massive relief to have everything off of his chest. Red, on the other hand, was trying to comprehend what he just heard. Was it true? He remembered Green telling him that he was going to become the strongest trainer in the world. But completing the Pokedex had been Red's dream, right? _No, it was just carrying out a task for Professor Oak. He was always insistent on getting Green and I to carry out his own dream._

_Did I ever have any dream of my own?_

"A-Anyway, don't think you ruined everything for me. I'm moving on with life, finding new things to do, instead of wandering around aimlessly like you. If you ask me, I'm pretty sure I've got a better headstart in getting my life together!", Green retaliated, trying to cover up his previous blurting of feelings. It wasn't something he was very keen on ever doing.

Green's words were lost from that point on on Red's ears. This confrontation in particular had opened his eyes. He _needed _something to look forward to. Something that he could do on his own terms. Red scoured his mind for things that had brought him joy throughout his journey. Finding Pokemon certainly did, but that goal was completed. Battling trainers had been fun, but he was stronger than all of them now. Training his own Pokemon...? It had been a simple concept, but something he had neglected as of late. He felt a pang of guilt, but felt that simple thought could be some kind of starting point.

"So don't expect me to take up your position. Go ask one of the Elite Four or-"

"Green, listen."

_5. Isolation/Potential Hope_

Green was struck silent immediately, slightly stunned by Red's firm tone. He noticed immediately that his previous expression, that contained some kind of broken quality, was now replaced by an uncertain, but content one. He was incredibly curious about what Red had to say at this point.

"I'm leaving."

"Leaving? Where? You honestly think moving to a different city here will-"

"No, not here. I've heard of this place, it's a place where only the strongest of the strong can go. I'm going to figure out what to do there. Tell mom I said goodbye. Oh, and good luck with whatever you're planning to do next", Red said. It was the most he had said in the past few months, and it would be the most he spoke in the upcoming three years.

With that, he gave a brief wave to his former best friend, opened the door, and left the house. He ignored Green's muffled protests from inside the house demanding an explanation, and walked at a slightly quicker pace. Green didn't run after him, though. As Red trekked through the small patch wild grass as he once did with his starter, he was completely alone.

He took a familiar path towards Victory Road, but didn't go towards the League. Red paused for a few seconds, gazing at the glorious building, and then moved onwards, feeling the air becoming colder as he walked forward.

Red approached an area full of tall grass, and amidst the almost abandoned looking area, was the entrance to the base of a mountain. He released Pikachu from his Pokeball, ready to battle any wild creatures lurking in the grass.

The little yellow mouse looked up at Red curiously, and then at the mountain, as if he had suspicions already of where his trainer was planning to spend an excruciatingly long time. Nevertheless, he followed Red through the grass, and after about ten minutes, they made it to the base of the Mt. Silver.

Red looked up, the summit not visible from where he was standing. He thought back to that feeling of euphoria upon completing the Pokedex, as if he had fulfilled his only goal. That feeling didn't return. Of course, there was nothing achieved, he had only decided the next course of action in his life. He had no idea where his training would take him, but it had to be better than the months he had spent in the League.

Lastly, he thought of how he'd no longer stand in the way of anyone's goals. They could achieve their's in peace, while Red tried to figure his out in this isolated area. It wasn't warm and welcoming, it didn't bring him a sense of happiness.

It was a new experience, something that wouldn't bore him easily. Although Red couldn't imagine what this mountain could do to help him figure out his dreams in life, it would give him a type of starting point at least. For now, that was more than enough.


End file.
